I asked him if he and his wife would be interested in learning how to do backpacking. My wife has expressed an interest in doing some 'packing again, and we could organize a little shakedown, if they were so inclined. He said he certainly would be, though he didn't know about his wife.
So, here's the deal. I would be willing to organize an adult backpacking class for my clergy friends and/or their spouses. Such a class would consist of the following.
1. A sit-down session on gear and general preparation. What to bring, what not to bring, what is essential and what is not. We would meet at a central location for a couple of hours.
2. A weekend (or other two-night period) shakedown experience. A shakedown is a mini-backpacking-trek. It is not for physical conditioning (in fact, we don't go very far). It is for learning and/or sharpening outdoor skills and forming the crew before heading out for a major trek. We learn and practice how to start the crew, when to take breaks, how to use (and adjust) our gear. We learn and practice how to set up camp, break down camp, distribute gear, hang bear bags, purify water, cook and clean up meals. And, given the contingencies, we may also be sharing a few first aid tricks for sore feet and whatnot. Once the weekend is over, the participants would be ready for a major trek -- or ready to lead a group on such a shakedown weekend.
For those who might be interested, I would then offer to meet with people after the weekend for, say, 3-4 hours to teach how to plan and cost out a major trip.
Those who might be interested in such a Continuing Education event, let me know.
